Gina Hanson

California State University, San BernardinoTrustee Ali C. Razi Honors

Gina Hanson was in her thirties when she decided to pursue higher education. A lifetime of struggle, including disability, homelessness and extreme poverty had taken its toll, and she doubted whether she would be very successful. In 2006, however, she graduated magna cum laude from UCLA and entered the masterís program in English composition at CSU San Bernardino, and has maintained a 4.0 GPA. Gina volunteers countless hours working for various animal charities and spent time rescuing animals in New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina. She offers free tutoring to children in her community and works at CSU San Bernardinoís Writing Center, providing consultations to students. She also is a lifetime member of Phi Theta Kappa and Sigma Tau Delta. After completion of her masterís degree program, Gina plans to pursue a Ph.D. or M.F.A. so that she can teach English at the university level and help underprivileged students like her achieve their educational goals.